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Volunteers Help Homeless Vets At New England Center For Homeless Veterans

BOSTON (CBS) - Veterans Day means many things to people but to some vets, it's just another day of struggling to find a meal or a place to sleep.

The New England Center For Homeless Veterans has been lending a hand to veterans in need for 20 years.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports

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"If I didn't come in here, my life would be in shambles, " says Steve Corbett, an army veteran, who found himself in the clutches of alcoholism until he found the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. "They've kept me sober, and doing the right thing. Then, they offered me a job. Now I have my own place in Quincy."

The shelter has been open since 1990 and over the years, it has helped over 17,000 veterans.

"The mission of the shelter is to provide outreach for our veterans," says Andy McCawley, the President of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, "because veterans face challenges in coming back to civilian life, that often creates huge barriers they need help with."

On any given day, as many as 400 men and women are staying at the shelter, which now occupies 10 floors at 17 Court Street in downtown Boston.

On Monday, the shelter was getting a good sprucing up from 90 volunteers from Bank of America, and Youth Build Boston as a way to honor and remember Veterans Day.

Let us know if you have any suggestions for stories where people are getting together to make a difference. Email Jackie Connally at: jaconnally@boston.cbs.com

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